November 7, 2008 – Southport,
North Carolina (NC) - No
snow, no ice, no freezing weather, how do residents of North
Carolina’s Coast get in the holiday spirit?
The Christmas by the Sea
Festival is how. The numerous events held throughout
Boiling Spring Lakes,
Oak Island and
Southport during the Christmas by the Sea Festival would warm
any heart including one E. Scrooge, Esq. The festival begins
Tuesday, December 2nd and runs through Sunday, December 21st.

Music
is the key to any holiday celebration and the Christmas by the Sea
Festival events offer an abundance of musical performances. “Amahl
and the Night Visitors”, a one-act operetta about a poor shepherd
boy and his mother’s encounter with the Three Kings is presented by
Amahl Productions. The Brunswick Concert Band will perform their
annual Christmas concert with various selections of holiday music. A
“Candlelight Christmas” will include traditional, sacred and the Sea
Notes Choral Society directed by Dianne Hoffman and accompanied by
Jane Boberg will present familiar tunes. Talented choirs abound in
the area as the Ocean View United Methodist Concert Choir will
present “Child of Wonder”, fun festive music; and the Southport
Holiday Concert sponsored by City of Southport Department of Tourism
will feature talented students from South Brunswick, West Brunswick
& North Brunswick High Schools. Tree lightings at Dosher Memorial
Hospital and the Town of Oak Island Cabana provide the family an
opportunity to incorporate tradition and music into their holiday
plans.

Stage II Productions will
present Winter Nightsong: A Reflection on the Christmas Eve
Wanderings of one E. Scrooge Esq. two weekends in December at the
historic Amuzu Theatre in Southport. Author and playwright K. Robert
Campbell takes the Charles Dickens’ Classic tale of Christmas and
adapts it for the Southport stage and local musicians Cathy Furpless
and Dean Powell brought in musical numbers, lending to the addition
of dance and spectacle. Brunswick Little Theater will provide
Holiday Entertainment in Southport’s
Fort Johnston Garrison House.

Decorations have always been a
part of any holiday celebration and with two tours of homes you will
pick up traditional and modern techniques for decorating your home.
Oak Island Beautification Club’s 21st Annual
Tour of Homes, held the first Sunday in December will include five
homes and the
U.S. Coast Guard Station on Oak Island.
The Southport Historical Society Southport Christmas Tour of Homes
is the second Saturday in December and will include nine homes and
the
Old Jail, limited to 1200 tickets. Free trolley transportation
for the home tour participants will be provided.

The Christmas by the Sea
Festival includes a variety of fun activities aimed at children and
teens but providing plenty of opportunity for family participation.
Boiling Spring Lakes Parks and Recreation Department has events
planned in the Boiling Spring Lakes Community Center including a
Gingerbread Workshop, Breakfast with Santa, and Secret Santa
Workshop. Southport Parks & Recreation Department will hold its
Secret Santa Workshop with the Southport Department of Tourism
providing an opportunity for the entire family to enjoy the movie
“Polar Express” on
Southport’s Waterfront on the Fort Johnston Garrison Lawn. The
Oak Island Parks & Recreation Department will utilize their new Teen
Center by holding a Teen/Pre-teen Christmas Party prior to the
Festival Parade, a Secret Santa Workshop, and Christmas Family Fun
Hunt, while the Oak Island Recreation Center will host the North
Pole Adventure. Not to forget the needs of our four legged
companions to shop for their owners, the Oak Island Parks &
Recreation Department will hold a Santa Claws with Paws at Middleton
Park.

The
Christmas by the Sea Festival parades not only travel by land but
also by sea. Plenty of candy will be given out as the Southport Oak
Island Area Chamber Of Commerce Festival Parade travels down Oak
Island Drive at 3pm on Oak Island. Downtown Southport Inc.’s
Southport Lighted Holiday Boat Flotilla will float by Bay Street on
December 13th at 7pm. The final parade of the festival, the Boiling
Spring Lakes Holiday Lighted Parade will illuminate the streets in
BSL on December 14th at 6pm.

For a complete calendar of
festival events including fees and ticket locations, area merchant
discount coupons or applications for the festival parade or flotilla
go to
www.christmasbysea.com or call the
Southport Oak Island Area Chamber Of Commerce at 910.457-6964 or
800-457-6964.